Library Plagiarism Policies - Essay Example

Plagiarism Plagiarism in the simplest term means taking and using other peoples words and thoughts, ideas, or images without giving credit to the originator of the afore mentioned. Plagiarism in this respect encompasses the use of concepts and sentences as if they are one’s own without crediting the author or citing the original sources from which they are taken. Plagiarism is mostly seen as a sort of theft. It involves reproducing someone’s or one’s own work which can either be a chapter of a book, a paper or essay or published articles.

Plagiarism can either be deliberate or accidental. Deliberate plagiarism includes summarizing or paraphrasing another person’s ideas without indicating where they come from. Accidental plagiarism on the other hand occurs when one forgets or unknowingly omits quotation marks around a passage that was copied word for word. If other people’s words are used; the words must be put in quotation makes and a citation of the source made (Nelson and Stepchyshyn, 60). Implications of plagiarism When one plagiarizes his/ her work, they cheat themselves as they will not know how to write out their thoughts in their own words and they will not receive specific feedback from their instructors geared to ones needs and skills.

Plagiarism affects the value of one’s degree and can diminish the worth of a diploma. If students work is found to be plagiarized, the professor of the course gets to determine the penalty and one of the most severe will include getting a fail in the course in not an expulsion from school (Nelson and Stepchyshyn, 60). Plagiarism is considered to violate the code of academic conduct and it can lead to dismissal or suspension. Taking or using other people’s property (work) without giving them credit is considered as copyright violation which can lead to damages and draws hefty fines or punitive jail terms (University of California and Davis) Work Cited Nelson, S. R. and Stepchyshyn, V.

Library Plagiarism Policies. New York: Assoc of College & Resrch Libraries, 2007. Print. University of California and Davis. Avoiding PLAGIARISM. Mastering the Art of Scholarship. University of California, Davis: Office of students Judicial Affairs, 2006. Print.